Updated 20.41 | Published 20.28
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fullscreen The supermoon has already appeared over Rome. Photo: Leo Correa / AP
A supermoon will appear in the sky tonight.
Photographers Patrik Leonardsson and Mikael Jonsson give their best tips for taking a good picture with their mobile phone.
– Get the camera to compensate for all the light, says Patrik Leonardsson.
Anyone who wants to see a really beautiful moon should look up at the sky this evening. This is when the first supermoon of the year occurs. The moon is then experienced as both larger and as shining brighter than usual. This is because it is extra close to the Earth.
As beautiful as it is, it can be difficult to get a decent picture with your mobile camera.
– The mobile phone is actually a rather inadequate tool when photographing the moon, it doesn’t have a telephoto lens like a normal camera does, says Patrik Leonardsson.
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full screenPatrik Leonardsson. Photo: Private
Lower the exposure
However, there are tips to succeed with the super moon picture.
– Zoom in on the moon. Otherwise it will look like a dot.
Because the moon is so bright and the sky is so dark, it’s easy for the moon to be way too bright.
– Then you can try pressing a little lightly on the moon in the mobile camera. Then the camera will compensate for the light. Sometimes you can help it a little on the trot. Then you pull down a slider that is on the right of the screen. It’s called backlight compensation.
Sometimes you can avoid the worst contrast if you take the picture during the “blue hour”.
– The blue hour is when the sun has set and the sky has not turned dark yet. Because the contrasts are not as great, it makes it easier to snap a good picture of the moon, says Patrik Leonardsson.
Avoid blurry images
Mikael Jonsson is also a landscape photographer, and advises to include some landscape in the picture.
– Then you see how big and bright the moon actually is. Try to zoom in as well, otherwise it will be a pin head that you are photographing.
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full screen Mikael Jonsson. Photo: Private
Like Patrik Leonardsson, he advises zooming in on the moon, but points out that it is important to keep the mobile still.
– Otherwise, the images will be slightly blurred. You don’t need to buy a stand. It is enough to lean the mobile phone against something.
Another trick to avoid blur is to set a delayed shutter speed. On the vast majority of cameras, you can set a photo to be taken one, three or ten seconds after you press the button.
– Then you avoid the phone shaking when you press your finger against the screen, says Mikael Jonsson.
Might try again in a month
But it’s not the only supermoon this year. The next time will be September 18, followed by October 17 when it will be the closest this year. The last time will be November 15, at approximately the same distance as now.
– If nothing else, you may have been practicing for September and the next supermoon, says Patrik Leonardsson.